§ Mr. Formanasked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the average age of all miners employed by the NCB; and what forward estimates have been made for 1980 and 1985, respectively.
§ Mr. EadieThe average age of wage earners on colliery books on 28th December 1976 was 42.8 years. It has been falling for several years—December 1973–44.2, December 1974–43.6, December 1975–43.2. It is not possible to make forward estimates at present, because the effects of early retirement have not been worked out yet, but clearly this should make the average age of miners lower than it would otherwise have been.